Interview with a Cannibal (Issei Sagawa)

30 years ago, a Japanese man named Issei Sagawa walked to the Bois de Boulogne, a park on the outskirts of Paris, carrying two suitcases. The contents of those suitcases, to the lament of a nearby jogger, was the dismembered body of a fellow student – a Dutch woman named Renée Hartevelt, whom Sagawa had shot three days prior and had spent the days since eating various parts of her body.

He was soon arrested. According to reports, Issei uttered, "I killed her to eat her flesh," when they raided his home, whereupon they found bits of Renne still in his fridge.

Sagawa was declared insane and unfit for trial and was institutionalized in Paris. His incarceration was to be short, however, as the French public soon grew weary of their hard-earned francs going to support this evil woman-eater, and Issei was promptly deported. Herein followed a bizarre and seemingly too convenient set of legal loopholes and psychiatric reports that led doctors in Japan declaring him "sane, but evil."

On August 12, 1986, Sagawa checked himself out of Tokyo's Matsuzawa Psychiatric hospital, and has been a free man ever since.

119 Comments / User Reviews

Why is this vile little man allowed to be in public?
It just shows how backwards Japan really is. Lately especially due to Trump being the President of my country...I’ve felt like my country is going backwards instead of forward.
However now learning about how pathetic the legal system is in such a supposedly modern country like Japan...well... let’s just say I’m getting my patriotic spirit again.
How is it possible in Japan for a disturbed maniac murdering cannibal not only be allowed to walk among the good people? How is it possible in Japan to allow this itty bitty disgusting short man to be basically considered a celebrity? It truly speaks for how backwards Japan truly is.
I found it incredibly sad but interesting because I felt like Americans should look towards Japan as an alliance and we should see how Japan handles economic and social issues.
Now that’s gone. Any country that allows a monster like this to walk free and on top of it allow him to gain celebrity for murder and cannibalizing must be a ridiculous country with a ridiculous legal system.
Honestly I would never put my tourism dollars towards our country and I would recommend that no other Americans go that way because I believe the girl was dutch she was a tourist I would be very scared to go to Japan you never know if some psycho was going to murder you rape your corpse and eat you because apparently in Japan that’s OK !

I understand that some people would find it horrifying and unacceptable to watch this documentary. I am not one of those people. For me watching documentaries such as this it's not because I am twisted, macabre or sick. I watch them and I am sure lots of other people watch them because a human being(Monster) doing these things to another human being(victim)is
incomprehensible​ to a normal sane person and as a highly curious person I want an incite and answers to how anyone is capable of these deplorable crimes. We just can't wrap our minds around it. Want to know if something in his past may have influenced what he did. So before condemning others maybe think first. Not to mention you are still talking about watching the entire thing which in your mind would make you sick and disgusting as well.

I would've gladly let him eat me! But only if he was willing to keep me alive while he chews me up. Just like him at the end, I fantasize about getting killed and ripped apart. I love pain. It'stands alot more common than you'd think. That's why people like me watch Vore porn. They're awesome videos of people getting eaten mostly by animals. My favorite has always been the giant anaconda slowly swallowing a girl while she screams. I would love to get eaten by an animal or person some day.

How can you find a moral or societal argument for this barbarian? Please stop dismissing this heinous act by saying "meat is meat"! Some of you should be institutionalized for thinking this is justified in any way.

It Doesn't even cross most of your minds that the only difference between most of us and being like this man is circumstance .....To condemn somebody for their actions without understanding as to why said action was performed, and without a rehabilitation plan in place is a crime in it of itself.

i like the video it just basic instect this man ran off of there are worse things he could of done and on top of that almost half of this planets speacies is cannibalistic so maybe we need to all just shut the **** up and learn from this plus if u babys think is is bad dont watch two guys and 1 hammer

Atrocities to humanity for these kinds of people are Like reality TV. There is always initially the excuse. The apathy. The apology. Acknowledging the elimination of the appetite that they as prey become the predator as uncivilized beast within. The toxic beast within themselves eats away their consciousness into psychopathy. Usual existence is prison confinement until their conscious sedation and extinction.

Ahhhh!?! When they started the video they wrote the word slowly "vice meets . . . " and the first word that popped into my mind was "rice"! Now I'm gonna think of that the next time I hafta eat mistry meat with a bowl. :-(

What an oddly but disturbingly fascinating man, totally aware of how wrong his crimes were and how twisted his fantasies are. What I found the most disturbing apart from him being set free was the fact he can actually make money from his crimes and these artists and publishers are so ok with it. A terryfying glimpse into the mind of a very disturbed individual.

He plotted a murder. Killed the women, kept her for T H R E E days. I bet money he's done this again. He wanted to feast on a woman, this is an urge he's had since childhood. This isn't about 'judgement' , but he doesn't need to be out in the public until he gets help or a proper punishment so he realizes what he did was wrong

Renae's family would have gone through sheer hell to have their beautiful daughters life not only taken in such a disgusting manner but the further national disrespect of her life and body dragged through trashy Japanese media that serves to reward this cowardly, selfish poor excuse for a human being
Its not even him I'm disgusted with because even he was surprised with the national reaction, I'm sure he was looking forward to being locked away to assume no further responsibility for himself.
Its the government and media serving to reward this kind of behavior and further disrespect this beautiful woman's life and trust.
The silver lining to this miserable cloud is that its given the man the freedom to really reflect on his pathetic life and have the desire to die.
Maybe one day he will realize no woman in the world would want to touch him let alone eat him and he would grow some balls then cut them off and eat them himself.

For me, the actual case, the person himself, is not the most disgusting thing in the video. There have been much worse cases similar, the one I know the best is of a Russian man who lured teenage girls into sex then ate parts of their body while they where still alive and eventually killed them. He also had several victims until the police caught him and sentenced him to death.
And that there is the problem. Issei's punishment. He wasn't put in jail, he wasn't even put in a mental institute. No, he was set free. Even that isn't as bad as the fact he managed to make a living off his crimes. He made money off his horrific act. And the fact that a government allows that is much, much more disgusting that his crime, a lot more.

Exactly! what horrifies me way more than the ridiculous little man is the Japanese government itself because there is no punishment for this kind of crime! I can tell you one country I will be skipping on my travels it’s Japan !

eyecandy_babydoll
- 09/06/2012 at 04:40

This is one of the most disgusting things I've seen. I feel sick to my stomach! I don't feel sorry for him - his situation is the result of his actions. I feel sorry for his victim. Imagine if Renee was your daughter?! I can't believe the Japanese authorities just let him go without any punishment! They should just make his dream come true of dying - that way it removes a risk to society.

There is a greater problem at hand here than just the cannibalistic nature of Issei Sagawa. It seems to me as if Japan endorses this kind of behaviour with cartoons, books depicting the slaughtered body of the French women and pornography all freely published. Imagine being the victims parents and seeing the graphic pictures of your daughter sold in books. Compared to other civilised countries on our planet I'd believe non of this would have been allowed to occur. Most likely Issei would be either put into a rehabilitation program, sent to jail for his crimes but definitely not make money from his crimes. For a country that was once built on a reputation for its honour and justice should now take a long hard look at itself.

Yes your absolutely right!
How can it be ok to these people? I don’t understand how or why it’s almost condoned?
You could even think back to World War II the rape of Nanking so many atrocities committed by that military that truly seems to have foreshadowed this exact social problem today!

MRDA
- 09/01/2012 at 22:32

Second observation: this bloke kinda looks like Roger from American Dad.

I find it sad ...people are there judging him ...telling that he should die and no one thinks about helping him we see that he needs help but still people wont see that because they are so obsseced with their onw self that they forget the ones who are less fortunate then them and judge them . He made a mistake of killing ... eat someone .. he cant control it ..just like smokers cant control their urges of having a cigarette yet we dont judge them .... same for all the fat people out there those are diseses that needs help not judging ...and the poor victim family must be in pain but imagine for a second the mother of this man how do you think she feels , how would you feel if your kids where like this man , if your son was a killer imagine two seconds how that mother is feeling . those who are Angry out there and those who judge helps the creation of such killers . like it or not that is reality we are all conected to each other that make us all killers ... this man needs love and forgiveness same as those who judge ... be blessed with eveything that will give you peace into your life

Angelic humans, may I say in a loving & non judgemental way that your comments are immature and reflect a fantasy world outlook disconnected from reality?
The most humane help that "we" can offer this tragic individual is to quarantine him from society for the protection of both, and to treat him as the psychiatric basket case he is.

Yes feel sorry for him, but not at the expense of the victim, & understand the difference between someone who has an eating disorder that affects their own health only & this guy who has a psychiatric/psychic/spiritual disorder that destroys another human.

Does he comprehend what he's done? Does he show remorse for what he's done? If not then there is every possibility that he may do the same thing again (if he hasn't already) & its some vacuous rainbow person like you that is likely to end up on his dinner plate !

BTW how exactly do you think you could help him ? Do you not comprehend that there may be a few crimes which are beyond redemption & this is one ?
Also this was not as you say "a mistake of killing ... eat someone .. he cant control it ...." as if it's possible to consider this a simple error of judgement, or a mistake.

I have daughters older than you & if anyone committed this crime against them I would kill them,and if my son committed a crime like this & I couldn't bring myself to kill him then I would agree to him being incarcerated for life-not out of hatred but out of concern for the safety of society,including you angelic humans...........

John Cury
- 08/30/2012 at 13:12

Understand him? No way can you understand this psychopath, he is a cold blooded killer who eats his victims, and he needs to be institutionalized. How can you compare smokers or people with eating disorder with this beast?

melodymaster23
- 09/22/2012 at 02:28

so thats all he needs is some love and forgiveness? i dont think so. the truth is, he knows right from wrong, he himself even described his crimes as terrible and discusting, yet, he still carried them out. and he did it for his own selfish reasons, to satisfy his urges. and can i just say, HOW DARE YOU COMPARE THIS TO SMOKING AND EATING DISORDERS. if you really believe that those were good examples to prove your point, then i truly feel sorry for you. you are beyond dillusional

Baka40
- 08/21/2012 at 16:42

disgusting vile creature, words do not describe how angry it makes me feel how a government can set this thing free in society, let alone make cartoons, porn and documentaries about it. that poor girl and her family. burn him at the stake, even that seems to easy on it

Okay, I try to explain that unspeakably horrible murder as "insanity", but what the people around him have done; letting him go free?! Well, I suppose letting him stay in jail in France would have been a rather good investment. Fine, send him back to Japan. Letting him go free in Japan after what he has done?! That couldn´t have been of the best interest of Japanese people; he is undoubtedly dangerous! As he HIMSELF even says! Leave alone letting him go unpunished is a slap (at the best) in the face of the poor victim´s family.
And the videos, books and comics they made with him?! Seriously?! Like he could teach you something that is good and proper in this world. To me it´s uncomprehensible that that 21 year old girl was payed to sleep with him and spend 24 hours with him and then was told about what he has done. How disgusting, disrespectful of human emotion and sentiment and absolutely tasteless that is I can hardly explain.
Now I´m not even surprised anymore that in such an environment that is entertained and so amused by such horror a person like that can grow and exist and make money!!! How absolutely aweful.

Haven't watched it don't care to.I am already sickened by half the feeble minded comments I've read in this thread, and the fact that "the victim" doesn't even have the dignity of a personal name in the comments offered reflects a detachment and indifference to a woman's life being taken and then violated in the most revolting manner.
No one deserves to die like that, & anyone that has committed such a crime doesn't deserve to live !
The lawyers,"medical experts"and officials that have allowed this fiend to go free are arguably as insane or at least morally decrepit in their complicity.

What if I as a relative of this woman sought justice and murdered this sociopath ? Yes that's right I'd get gaol for 10 years plus, while Mr masturbating murdering cannibal gleefully appears in porno films and writes comic books about his fetish !

If he had chosen an Israeli woman rather than a Dutch woman as his victim, then you would see an instant old testament solution to this situation.

The mercy I would bequeath to him would be to put him out of his misery and thus ensure that his peculiar appetite need not manifest again !

What the ****?! Why didn't this guy spend the rest of his life in the looney bin? ...or jail, or be executed? Instead he's writing comic books about eating people, making grotesque videos, writing books, etc. Not only is he free, but he makes a mockery out of his hideous crimes. Disgusting!

I hope people hearing about this story will not file it away in the back of their minds, then form strange opinions and notions about: 1) Japanese people; 2) Japanese men; and 3) typecast certain introverted men, though I know it'll be futile. It's easy to watch in shock, claim the individual as "sick" all the while reading over the disturbing details (why is he a celebrity?!)

That said, wish more psychologists would examine the case more closely, because his personality is unique. In the documentary, he said his mother was unsure when he first decided to go overseas (since he's from a very wealthy and well-connected family, and this affair has led to embarrassing exchanges between governments to shut it up) was there ever a pattern before the incident unknown but to his family members? Who knows!

The man's lack of emotions throughout the interview and over the memory of the incident, his facial expressions in past photos showing a strange mix of rigidity and artificiality, and even the fact that he said to "suppress" his appetite, he used to masturbate - this is a fellow who's had his feelings completely out of whack. There was a case of a woman who could not feel the emotion of fear, could this be one where a person couldn't feel "desire"? In trying to understand it, the man registers in his mind as an "appetite"?

I would be interested in the way neuropsychologists explain how a brain distinguishes between feelings of "desire" and "appetite", or whether on the somatic level, they're more similar than most think. Might be why sex always gets in between the two as well. His personality's unique, but not singularly unique.

in the beginning he claims to be from a different planet or dimension, yet right after talks about how he's a cannibal. conflicting statements, which led me to believe you just can't take what this guy say seriously.

his followers are just a sign of the times as uniqueness is becoming pretty rare due to art & social interaction being accessible & accepted to & by everyone.there are only a few disputable taboo's to be breached!those are signals of a collapsing system where decay becomes entertainment!

Bad people happen and cannibalism isn't unique. What is truly disturbing about this is not that he is free, or that he can talk so freely about it, but that people seem so fascinated by him, books, comics, films, erotica. That is truly the sickness that I see here. It is probably the reason he can talk so frankly about everything, his experiences tell him its all right on some level.

Everyone has a dark side. It isn't as invasive for most as it is for those who finally act on it. The fascination may stem from a fear inside all of us that we may be on the brink of doing similar deeds. We like to know the motivation so we can feel easier when we hear their story and using it to compare to our own darker tendencies. We can then feel good about ourselves when we decide the other guy is really out there and lives in world beyond even our own fantasies.

Yesterday I began to watch this doc and got as far as where they began to show the real photographs of the victim's remains and I physically shuddered in terror. I paused the video and closed the window immediately because I was so shocked. My heart was pounding afterwards. I am going to try and watch it in its entirety now, though I'm not sure if I will make it through if there are more gruesome images.

This is truly the stuff of nightmares. It is beyond comprehension to me that A) this man can sit and talk about what he did as if he's recounting some run of the mill, everyday story, and B) he remains a free man to this day. The thought that he is roaming freely somewhere in the world is unsettling to say the least.

....I remember very clearly on some French newspaper all those years ago, (I'm British and was travelling around France at the time and was in Paris when viewing that newspaper!) a photo of him handcuffed and a policeman either side of him walking down some steps, a black & white photo, i remember him with longish hair too, always stuck in my mind that photo and story, and here it is being shown!

where's azilda at?somehow i'm missing her comments to a couple of recently
added doc's....hope she's not backpacking through china at the moment & has
accidently met this charming young man,seducing her to an evening meal
("oh,you're from canada...do you like frog legs?") with his trustworthy twinkling eyes!how can one not melt like butter(yummy)to his succulent smirking lips?az,i hope you escaped in time....good luck & report back in if you made it!!!>smirk<(the new LoL!)

Azilda has a new profile, and is mostly on "Keen talks" Her profile is "oQ" i believe.

Dr Lewis Nixon
- 08/04/2012 at 10:31

I feel as though I shouldn't feel sorry for him but after it ended I couldn't help but see it from his point of view. Him being trapped in this perverse world that he can't get out of no matter how much he wants to.

Hypocrisy and double standards of society in the face of crime .
"Poor man steals cause he is an antisocial criminal. He is a danger to society so he is convicted.Nobody ever tries to empathize with him. No effort is made to understand his condition.
On the contrary: rich man steals cause he suffers from kleptomania. Almost all society race to his defense. Everyone eagerly empathize with him.
The documentary doesn't mention much about his wealthy father and his influence in this sad story . He made him sent to Japan and get released shortly after.
I don't advocate criminal justice or penitentiary system. But that is highly probable that he is a danger to women he meets. And he needs to be kept under control .
It is sad and sickening to see lots of people rushing to his defense, feeling a sort of empathy towards him even before thinking about victims of his acts or weird and unjust freedom he enjoys .

i feel a little bit of everything watching this video. surely this being's crimes are hard to deal with, to comprehend, and to justify, but he seems like he was fully aware of how sad and depraved his actions and thoughts were, even at the time of committing the horrible acts, and before. it is impossible for me to say that i am in perfect control of my urges (food, alcohol, sex/porn, etc.), or that i haven't felt confused in how i relate to the rest of the world, but even so, it is a strange thing to feel empathy for this twisted a soul. It is very hard to know who we are, and we have a tendency to fear the unknown, and this man lives in fear of himself and hopes for death. you can see the torture of his past play on his face clearly...i hate him, i pity him, i wish he could be free of his dysfunctionalities, however disgusting they may be.

...thank you...thank you very, very much...how simple is that!..there is no need to spend words on him...or money to examine his chicken brain...a bullet would be the right price for the guy...hope he killed himself by now...

dmxi
- 08/03/2012 at 01:31

it's not necessary to condemn the crime he's commited, but(t) at least crease that
(effin') smug little face, to rectify his rectum by scrotifying his scrotum,via
brute vegetarian force!

This man should not be free. I cannot believe that poor woman was told to sleep with him and told afterwards what he had done to those girls. The horror. And to bbbbleh, not insane? Are you kidding?. Guess you would have to get into the whole defining insanity like defining intelegence, i dont think it can be done. But i would most certainly think that its being a little more than just odd. Maybe if he donated his body to science we could have a look and see what went so terribly wrong up there, because its not all to be blamed on nurture. The ability to obsess and follow through with such actions without remourse. The way he shows off his pictures like trophies. Something is not working as it should.

He is not insane; he is just odd in his own way that the society does not accept. Poor him. He is so depressed and isolated. I am sick of the sickened Japanese culture. It's disgusting that there are publishers asking him to write books and make videos. He needed the money; but the publishers are just disgusting.

does that guy visually remind anybody of someone?paul daniels,maybe(it looks like he's got a chicken up his sleeve)?i can't pin it down,but maybe someone can help?
by the way,marc dutreaux's(?) wife is being let free,so this story doesn't surprise me,no matter how shocking this incident was.a f***ed-up system always benefits the f***ed-up!

Morning :) No, not trolling just being sarcastic. I agree that what he did was sick and I did say he should have been punished for her murder. This doc is another that makes something awful of the watcher and yet people watch and then get on their moral high horse. I made it about half way before realising I was almost there too, one foot in the stirrup. Don't you find it odd that we watched (i managed about half) even though we knew it would turn our stomachs? We knew it would offend us in all sorts of ways but still we had to go there and then have the gall to comment on his wickedness. This isn't a documentary, it's no better than Saw or Hostel or Silence of the Lambs. I closed my eyes to the messy bits in this doc and that's when I knew I shouldn't be watching. You're probably right, I probably went too far with my comment but I was disgusted with myself for even being here anyway. Sorry for that :) My point is, perhaps we are all a little callous and tasteless for being here at all! I have no problem with the subject, just the cheap thrill presentation. My previous comment was a little knee jerk I guess...

dear dew (aka Sue She),
you have no need to explain or defend yourself!your comment was
neatly curious & on-point sarcastic,which are tools to comprehend
the un-imaginable.there are always few,Dew, that don't read between the lines & take it word for word...their lack of black humour is compensated by accusations (of trolling) or insults (callous or tasteless???) to feel humanly superior(strong word,i know,but true if
you read the comment regarding brian)!if they can't take it with a pinch of salt,you surely can!if they can't smirk at such an abstruse story with the suplied images of that trustworthy gentleman,then i can't help!no one would believe this scenario,if it were a film,but in the real life the weirdest things become reality!so leave them trolls trolling & please keep your 'callous tastelessness'!
regards....dmxi(aka loony lu-the chop sticking chop sticker)

Imightberiding
- 08/07/2012 at 14:42

Aha! I knew you were a decent, balanced individual with a sharp sense of humour. Oh, but so much is lost in the text of our comments.

You are of course correct in that this falls short of a documentary & exhibits to the voyeuristic. I was hoping it might have had a little more content & provide more insight into the man & reasons. Still scratching my head at his unapologetic mindset, demented smirks & the glaring fact that he was free to carry on after but a few short years in "Hospital".

I shall pay closer attention to sarcasm & the like, of all the dark humour sprinkled throughout the comments on this site. I am certainly guilty of my own twisted humour, of which I am certainly the only person who gets a laugh from it.

Imightberiding
- 08/02/2012 at 10:04

Seems my last comment has gone to the nether world to be reworked & correctly presented with proper words & descriptions prior to being displayed on this thread. I suggested that @brian rose was a word that started with "I" & ended with "T". I stand by it & would even suggest many more descriptive comments about him as a deeply disturbed & flawed human being. I guess that is part of what makes this grand world of ours interesting. Sick individuals like him who defend murder, sexual deviancy & cannibalism. Wish he was my neighbour & best friend. i guess it really does take all kinds.

wow! I'm not sure what is more disturbing to me..this man murdering and eating another person, being set free & then telling the tale so openly or my total inability to believe that this is true. Oh, wait ... the big bad wolf scene...that was FREAKING HORRIFYING!!!. How is it that this man wasnt institutionalised? With that said, AWESOME DOC !!!!

Its odd that he murdered someone just to eat them, but we murder millions of animals for food everyday. I'm not a vegetarian, but I also don't pretend that humans are categorically different from other mammals. All mammals care for their young, form emotional bonds, and feel pain both physically and mentally.

No one here should be eating a hamburger or steak tonight, and then commenting on how deplorable it is to eat flesh (albeit human flesh).

While I do agree with your 'meat is meat' statement, keep in mind he also raped his victim after shooting her in the head.

brianrose87
- 08/03/2012 at 03:05

I know, right!

THAT is body tremblingly horrible, yet people focus on the cannibalism.

Julie
- 08/02/2012 at 07:07

Wow Brian, I bet you're proud of that statement. Sounds like you need some brian time......before you do anything weird

brianrose87
- 08/03/2012 at 03:28

My comment was a bit forward, but my intention was to demonstrate how strongly culture affects us.

Luna, my Siberian Husky, is curled to next to me right now, so relaxed and content that even her eyes seem to be smiling (anyone with a dog... errr... a properly treated dog, knows the face). Yet in some cultures canine is a menu choice. Certain Southeast Asian cultures have both pet dog breeds, and food dog breeds; a fact that exemplifies the shades of grey this world contains.

My point is that if we can manage to conjure feelings of compassion toward an individual who did what this man has done, then perhaps we can feel compassion for those who have done wrong to us, or disagree with our views.

If I'm a weirdo for venturing beyond a visceral reaction of hate and disgust; to foster and build a path toward compassion... well... I'd much prefer being a weirdo.

To hold anger and contempt for another is like holding a hot coal in your hand with the intent of throwing it at another person. You only burn yourself.

Julie
- 08/03/2012 at 06:24

I have compassion for the guy, everyone has cravings of a sort but that doesn't make it right by any means. There is a huge difference between eating animals and craving human flesh, you cannot deny that fact. People don't crave hamburgers because they have a distorted sexual urge they cant release naturally. I have compassion for him and I can sympathize with him as a human but when you're insane you are insane. Do some research on the subject, psychos and sociopaths are just about the only ones that have this desire because lets not forget you have to kill someone for it and most are not standing in line so cannibals can have their way because meat is meat....
Unless you're in a religion or culture of some sort that accepts it

JenniRN
- 08/08/2012 at 15:33

Wow. I couldn't agree more. Compassion for him doesn't mean you condone what he did but see him as a sick sufferer. The world might be a kinder place were more people able to muster the compassion you displayed in your post.

drinker69
- 08/02/2012 at 18:18

Nice logic. They should drop you out of the helicopter with this guy. Go eat some pan fried tofu or paneer ya softy. Tell me I can't eat a hamburger? I'll eat every meat burger you have, I wouldn't kill a person and eat them like this r*tard.

brianrose87
- 08/03/2012 at 03:52

Haha I wasn't suggesting you can't eat a hamburger (although, in the long run its better for your cardiovascular health to at least limit your intake). I was trying to demonstrate the disconnect between people being horrified by someone eating meat... while that very person may themselves be eating meat.

Its possible we do disagree, I suppose. I'm a biologist, so it comes with the territory to recognize that Homo sapiens is not superior or inferior to any other creature. We evolved through adaptation to our environment as did every other creature that's ever existed. We tend to get carried away by our achievements and conclude that all other lifeforms can be sacrificed so long as we benefit.

There's an old book that speaks of humans in paradise, we were ejected from paradise, as the myth goes, because we ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Our internal, mental belief that we know what should or should not be is the pain spoken of outside the garden of Eden (cow meat=good, dog meat=bad, corn=good, corn eating grasshopper=bad, etc.). Judge a situation, person ,or personal circumstance and you immediately are subject to the hard tacks of pain, suffering, and disappointment that accompany such thoughts.

If we choose a path that contains no judgement, no attachment, and no resistance to this moment, then there is no anger, hate, sadness, pain, etc. there is only peace and acceptance.

P.S. I'm no creationist... In fact, I'm an atheist about 3,000 Gods that have ever been created by man. Even "believers" are atheist about 2,999 Gods (that makes everyone 99.998% atheist, including "believers"). Thought I had to clarify that being that I mentioned the Garden of Eden as being a poignant, constructive, and useful mythology (which it is, as is most every mythology).

P.S.S. Thank you Joseph Campbell for... well... existing

drinker69
- 08/03/2012 at 05:42

You sound fairly intelligent and if you say you're a biologist well then that's swell beav. It sounds like you're weaving in an out of a Buddhists approach to the human condition. Or a Buddhist who likes to eat burgers with other homo sapiens in paradise. Each to their own I say me old chum.

Jack1952
- 08/02/2012 at 20:31

Its odd that he murdered someone just to eat them? Putting ketchup of fried rice is odd. What this guy did isn't odd, eccentric or even weird. Its in a category of its own.

I just ate the flesh of a peach. Yummm. Don't feel bad about it at all. Gonna barbecue a hamburger for supper. Didn't have to kill it. Road kill. Not sure what it was when it was alive.

brianrose87
- 08/03/2012 at 04:13

Cats don't have taste buds that identify sweetness (sugar), so they look at that peach and think "What's he doing? Thats odd."

Sharks dislike the flavor of human. There were 75 shark attacks globally in 2011, and that was a 20 year high (only 12 global deaths). For a comparison more people died in 2011 from coconuts falling on their heads... those menacing coconuts.

A shark bites a human and mentally registers "Nasty! i swear that was an injured seal... never doing that again".

My point is that the difference between odd, eccentric, weird, and "category of its own" are cultural. There are severak documentaries that document cannibalistic tribes ("Keep the River on Your Right" and "The Last Cannibals" are docs about an Amazonian tribe and Papua New Guinean tribe, respectively).

Most people would be disgusted by what these tribes do. These tribes would likely be disgusted by some things we do. Its cultural.

I'm, of course, not defending this man. The tribes I just mentioned would also find him appalling because his acts are purely for self-satisfaction, a trait universally frowned upon... except by capitalism, which embraces selfish pursuits.

Jack1952
- 08/03/2012 at 04:49

Not trying to appear judgemental but cultural does not necessarily make something ethically or morally correct. Slavery, female circumcision, honour killings are also cultural phenomena that most of us find appalling.

It would be quite likely that all of humanity has ancestors in the distant past that practised cannibalism. They lived in a stage of human development that would allow for this type of behaviour. We, most definitely, live in a stage where it is not acceptable any longer.

brianrose87
- 08/03/2012 at 05:00

Excellent point. Totally agree. You da' man.

Gallant Ali
- 08/04/2012 at 19:50

There is no culture that permits eating another human flesh. The traditional cultures that existed in the past used to hunt other human beings for sacrifice, or when in fierce competition. But that again was condemned by almost every culture

Even carnivorous animals don't eat their kind. It is only permitted to eat another "dead" human's flesh "if" you are stranded in a deserted place with no food or no water and you have no choice but to eat (human) or die.

In those rare cases where there was cannibalism, was due to the fact that other humans could not distinguish between their own species, and mistook other humans to be part of an animal that they hunt.

There is no excuse for cannibalism. A cannibal is a cannibal and a murderer is a murderer, and this man is both. He should be killed to remind everyone that there is no tolerance for such inhuman behavior when it comes to justice.

Jack1952
- 08/04/2012 at 20:07

Type "animal cannibalism" and you will find numerous sites describing cannibalism in the wild. I have personally seen a pig and a cat eat their young and a flock of chickens attack and eat one of their own flock. It is quite common.

Human cannibalism was ritualistic in primitive culture. How it started is anyone's guess. It may have been a lingering practise from when humans lacked the capacity to differentiate right from wrong.

Humans do have the capacity to agree on a standard of acceptable behaviour today. This includes the abhorrent crime this creep committed. I don't think that we have to remind anyone that society has no tolerance for this behaviour. The average person reacts with revulsion when the subject of cannibalism is mentioned.

Scoobsnheather
- 08/04/2012 at 23:13

Actually, cannibalism is still around today.

Carnivorous animals eat their offspring all the time, Ie. The Black Widow Spider, etc.

Clearly you haven't really looked into this subject, but just for the record, Catholics (Through transubstination) eat flesh and those people are everywhere! :)

Moonspirit48
- 08/05/2012 at 04:57

This is not true. There are many examples of animals eating their own kind. For instance, male lions who take over a pride of females will kill the young cubs who are the offspring of other males. In fact it is estimated that a quarter of cubs dying in the first year of life are victims of infanticide. Google animal infanticide or animal cannibalism and you'll see many other examples.

brianrose87
- 08/07/2012 at 00:40

Haha oh man Gallant Ali.

In cultures that practiced human sacrifice it was pretty much universally an honor to be sacrificed. These practices were generally to curry their God's favor, thus making the sacrificed individual quite holy.

To say that "in the past [traditional cultures] used to hunt other human beings for sacrifice" reveals how your own personal psyche works. Typically people research, and then, data in hand, come to a conclusion. You clearly came to a conclusion without doing your homework.

Jack1952
- 08/07/2012 at 04:49

There was also the practice of eating the flesh of slain enemies in the hopes of acquiring some of the better qualities of the victim. I'm sure the guy that was killed didn't find it an honour to be eaten. He probably did everything in his power to prevent it from happening. Being on the menu was just a consequence of being the poorer fighter.

brianrose87
- 08/07/2012 at 06:38

Good point. Was this usually done out of respect or hate?

I ask because I know many African tribes (some still in existence today) would perform rituals out of respect to their animal prey before killing them. Something about both the hunter and hunted having gone through a struggle together, and wanting to honor the animals (non-voluntary) sacrifice.

I suppose there are likely examples of cultures that ate their enemies without any concept of respect, and separate cultures that did it with respect (regardless of the involuntary nature of being slain). If you want to absorb someones power I'd presume there's a superstition around being of pure mind while doing it. Who wants to absorb demons right?

Jack1952
- 08/07/2012 at 23:04

If the cannibalism was a by product of a blood feud, irrational hatred of the other clan, coupled with a respect for their prowess as a formidable enemy, would both come into play. Killing someone who had reputation as a great warrior could enhance one's standing in their community. Eating him could feed his ego. These feuds could last for generations and the actual reason why the fighting started could be lost in family myths.

The blood feud thing is such a waste of time, property, life and life quality. I find it hard to think like some one who is deeply involved in a blood feud. Even harder to understand a cannibal or their motivation. It gets back to a cultural thing which is just a smoke screen to justify unethical behaviour.

M A
- 08/02/2012 at 03:35

Super interesting!! What a strange little man, especially what he has become today...

I know! He is a strange little man right? Not only that, but he's also a funny little murderer too! I wish I could slap you.

M A
- 04/21/2013 at 23:12

My, how people are brave when they are anonymous. :)
He might be a one time murderer, it's a much better track record than the US government, would you not say? Less psychopathic and delusional, that's for sure.

Issei for President!

Richard T
- 08/02/2012 at 03:22

I can't believe what I just saw. Who in the hell decided it would be a good idea to put this guy in porno movies where some woman has to be with him for 24 hours and have sex with him multiple times? After sex, he then very casually shows her his 'books' with all the gory details about how he murdered a woman, raped her dead body, and then proceeded start cutting her up and eating her? How is it possible that he was just let off the hook?

Some grim pics of chopped up body but you've probably seen worse in war films and horror movies. Is eating an already dead person actually illegal? Not sure it is. In which case, however unpalatable you might find it, he's sort of only guilty of murder. After all, once you've killed someone all you're doing is eating an already dead body ;)
Shame he got away with the killing though.
It would be disappointing to end up as supper for this guy, he's not exactly Hannibal is he?!

I still cannot believe how could the french not execute him and then send him back to Japan and let him make a living from his sick and horrible crime .
This is a damned soul that will rot in hell !!!!!